nobody was listening in the early 90's when Roland Harrigin hook up with Panyard...it make BIG NEWS in TT and in the pan world...the government counter-act by spending $40 million tax payers money in steelpan research at UWI...the G-PAN launch & fold...everybody "silent" and allyuh beating-up on panyard... Roland as tuner get a contract with panyard as any professional would undertake...it is time TT citizens have to get off panyard tabanca...THIS BUSINESS IS HUGE and Pan Trinbago have to take the driver role openly!!!
When is everyone going to accept that the horse is long gone in this race? Why are people objecting to business enterprises that accommodate the revelation and the dissemination of our wonderful instrument throughout the world? It's called free enterprise. The fact that we, as Trinis, were not astute enough to recognize the business potential and that those among us who could have afforded to start said businesses, didn't, does not mean that we should denigrate those who did, regardless of the region they reside in or the country they come from. If there is blame to be generated we have to take the responsibility. No government helped these various pan producing companies to start their businesses. They hired the skills they needed to have a successful business and if that meant hiring great Trini tuners and innovators, so be it. That's business. We have to grow up, stop depending on government and become independent. It can be done, it HAS been done. While we're fussing about them taking over the industry, they're running and laughing all the way to the bank. Find some investors and some venture capitalists, start your business and make your money. Study the business models of innovative men like Salmon Cupid and learn. We've been doing the same thing for the last few decades and expect to get different results. That, my friends is called madness. OK !! I'll stop talking Cecil Hinkson.
Cecil Hinkson: I'll give you an example of how they function. I have known about Panyard Inc for years. I was considering purchasing a pan for a family member and getting one from T&T was proving to be a huge problem, no response when you call, insufficient info, poor sales staff, questions about shipping, forex payment and a whole bunch of nonsense. So I found Panyard and called them. Within hours all the information was sent to me and while I was speaking with the sales clerk, who initiated a conversation about pan music, I mentioned that I was looking for a DVD, Calypso Dreams. She immediately recommended that I talk to Michael Dunn, the director and gave me his number in Cali. In speaking to Michael, after he took care of locating the DVD and sending it immediately to me, he realized that I was a panjumbie and gave me Ray Funk's # to get info on acquiring hard-to-find pan pieces. It appears that people who are involved in the pan music industry in the states have their network of people they work with and are quite happy to help whenever they can. They have a culture of their own within the general pan community. Of course, some of my Trini pan brethren are always willing to share and help when they can. I guess I'm really a capitalist at heart and I strongly believe that if you're smart and work hard you entitled to all the benefits of that work. We need to stop looking at what others are accomplishing and get busy to achieve our own success.
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Claude you do know that there are many who view Roland as a traitor and the man who gave away state secrets. There were many before who simply refused to do what he did. It is also not a coincidence that he was unceremoniously dumped as soon as they learned what they need from him.
bugs
The point is that it is NOT TOO LATE for US (Lord, ah put mehself in the middle of de ting when ah say "US"). But it is time for PAN LOVERS to forget about OLD ISSUES and MOVE FORWARD with NEW IDEAS. Because THE WORLD is HUNGRY for PAN MUSIC and PAN YARD cannot FILL THE BILL, singularly.
I am aware that this is an OLD TOPIC because ANSEL JOSEPH lived out here in the BAY AREA during the 80's and 90'S before he moved to ARIZONA. And he was well-connected to the OLD GUARD and there was much discussion and debate and ridicule and pot smoking and rum drinking and anger directed at PAN YARD back then.
(Allyuh think that CALIFORNIA did not have no PAN!!! But we had Robert Greenidge and Noble Williams and Ken Lawrence and Patrick Arnold and Clifford Alexis and Shanon Dudley and Andy Narell and Jeff Narell and Tom Miller and Ansel Joseph.)
I don't care about bringing back PAN ON THE ROAD like it used to be in the sixties with people pushing and PANORAMA and REWINDING TIME!!! I care about FORWARD PROGRESS for PAN.
There is a GLOBAL DEMAND for THE INSTRUMENT and GLOBAL PAN MUSIC.
The most important point (subtle point) that KATHLEEN was making is that NETWORKING is the magical formula that keeps America at the forefront of PAN PROGRESS.
And the TRINIDAD PAN DIASPORA is a NETWORK of over 600,000 people WORLDWIDE. So it is critical that BEVERLEY and PAN TRINBAGO wake up and link these resources for the good of PAN and COUNTRY.
The key here is to generate foreign exchange back to the mecca. If this happens, we get back the North Stand, and also the North Park for carnival. And most essential, funds sustainable for the TT pan players and all stakeholders.